Christianity 101: Orientation to Christian faith as practised at St. Anne's

Christianity 101 is an orientation to our St. Anne's approach to living the Christian life. If you are preparing for Baptism, Confirmation, or Marriage, this is for you. If you are newly attending church, this is for you. If you have been attending church for years, and now you are curious about how everything fits together, this is for you.

You are welcome to join the group sessions. Add a private session at the end for your lingering questions and/or to complete your sacramental preparation (for baptism, confirmation, marriage).

Christian faith is richly textured and it's not possible to cover everything. Christianity 101 will - at every step - encourage you to develop your curiosity as a lifelong learner of the faith.

Schedule:

6 small group sessions:

Session 1: Wednesday, January 17, 7:00 p.m.

Session 2: Wednesday, January 24, 7:00 p.m.

Session 3: Wednesday, January 31, 7:00 p.m.

Session 4: Wednesday, February 21 7:00 p.m.

Session 5: Wednesday, February 28, 7:00 p.m.

Session 6: Wednesday, March 14, 7:00 p.m.

THEMES: This new series of Christianity 101 begins from our common experience of weekly Sunday worship. There are consistent prayers from week to week, and starting from these, we introduce Christian faith as practiced at St. Anne's!

1. The Lord's Prayer

We begin from a relationship with God through Jesus Christ who taught us to pray this prayer. This is a pray that roots us in Christian origins in Judaism, recognizes our dependence on God, and expects us to change.

2. The Doxology

Imagine that God's power works through us in ways that are "infinitely more than we can ask or imagine"! What is God trying to accomplish. We explore how each of us is important, and also how we come together as the whole church, strengthened by each other, and sharing our faith from generation to generation.

3. The Collect for Purity

This prayer is a preparation to focus during the worship service, with the special understanding that God already knows everything about us. How do we focus? How do we have pure intentions in our lives? How does God cleanse or forgive us?

4. The Eucharistic Prayer

The ancient prayer over the bread and wine brings us into an exploration of the sacraments: the Eucharist, and also Baptism, as well as an exploration of the other sacraments of the church and what makes something sacred.

5. The Creeds

The beliefs expressed in the Nicene Creed and the Apostles' Creed are often the place where people hesitate. How did we come to have creeds, and what does it mean to say them. What do we believe and is there room for different approaches?

6. The Peace

Exchanging the peace is a transition in the Sunday worship service, a moment of connection with the people around us that symbolizes our commitment as Christians to be peacemakers. We will explore the teachings of Jesus, especially the Sermon on the Mount, and the Baptismal Covenant to discover the ways we are changed through our worship, and the ways that we can be instruments of God's peace in all that we do.

LOCATION:

Skey Room, St. Anne's Parish Hall

* Your experience of Christianity 101 may lead to being baptized or confirmed. However, the process is open-ended, and that is not the required result. You are welcome to explore, whether or not you are ready for the formalized commitment of the sacraments.